One more time: spinning the Kyle Beckerman-U.S. national team argument wheel. Yes, again.

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Kyle Beckerman is a holding midfielder. His job is to screen the defense, acting as a midfielder destroyer, using his wile to clog and dog passing the lanes, channeling his controlled tenacity into useful tackling and 50-50 ball winning. In possession, he is the first outlet for defenders, charged with moving the ball along in some sensible, orderly way to more attack-minded types.

Those are his unchanging orders around the national team.

Only, to listen to a faction of U.S. Soccer supporters, Beckerman should be scoring goals like Jozy Altidore or assisting like vintage Tab Ramos in addition to everything else. Or something close to it, even from a holding midfield position.

At the risk of being insulting, I have to wonder if fans who cannot see any value in the Real Salt Lake man just don’t like the way he looks (the dreads and all), or perhaps miss some basic understanding of the game? It’s OK if you don’t like Beckerman as a holding midfielder; I disagree, because I’ve seen him perform wonderfully for Real Salt Lake in that role for years. But you must recognize that he is a holding midfielder at least, a.k.a. a “defensive midfielder.”

I get the feeling that too many supporters cannot or will not acknowledge that teams need balance and roles.

I mean, could a football team function with a bunch of skilled position players and no men to do the blocking? Could a basketball team function without someone to go get rebounds? No. And most fans have a general understanding of that.

Most soccer fans will allow that a side needs defenders, whose role is generally “stop and distribute.” But they might fall short in recognizing that defending happens all over the field and in varying individual balances between “attack” and “defend.”

Midfields also need balance, and that’s what a guy like Beckerman is all about. Show me a midfield with four attack-minded types and I’ll show you an All-Star team designed for “show,” or a league team that is going nowhere fast. No, the Real Salt Lake man is not a set-up specialist, although a couple of skillful assists lately have reminded us that Beckerman has that element in his game.

Teams require a certain amount of midfield steel, willing mudders who are happy to win the ball and move it along selflessly. Part and parcel is a willingness to retain the defensive shape, to steadfastly protect against counter attacks rather than impatiently springing forward (as Jermaine Jones, top man on the U.S. holding midfield depth chart, too frequently gets caught doing.)

After all, the reasonable approach to these matches as heavy favorites is to secure a fairly comfortable win; something along the lines of 3-0 or 4-1 does just fine, thank you very much. The silly approach is to go crashing forward in search of 6-0 or 7-0, the kind of romp-and-stomps that may satisfy one small segment of fandom but involves a bit of wholly unnecessary risk.

Is it best when screening midfielders can tackle like mad dogs and then pass like Xabi Alonso or Daniele De Rossi? Of course! But Alonso and De Rossi are two of the best in the world at what they do; there just aren’t many Alonsos and De Rossis out there.

What I’ve said before about Beckerman is this: he’s probably not the optimum choice for games that will require tons of attacking, where the holding man’s job is equal parts screening the defense and moving the ball forward with a little more of playmaker’s eye.

But in tough games, in the World Cup qualifiers played in those intimidating parts of the world? Give me a guy like Beckerman for those, even if his role is off the bench. He’s fearless and experienced, and that means so much in those testing environments.

And in the Gold Cup elimination matches ahead, give me the leader who knows his role and who isn’t afraid to step into the midfield tackle, to make that area a less comfortable place to be.

Cecilio Dominguez and Mateus Uribe each bagged a brace, and Renato Ibarra also scored as the tournament’s top team sauntered into and out of Costa Rica on Wednesday. Club America has been to seven CCL finals, and one every single one.

West Ham United will pay a visit to Dag & Red as part of the latter’s #SaveTheDaggers campaign, and the March 21 date will cost fans between $7 and $21 to see a top flight side at 6,000-seat Victoria Road.

“So please come on down to the Chigwell Construction Stadium for an additional night of football. Bring a friend, or two, or more and we can use the gate takings to help get us back on track,” reads a press release.

Dag & Red was founded in 1992 and climbed as high as League One in 2011, and plays just 2.5 miles from West Ham United’s training ground. Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle are among Dag & Red alums in the Premier League.

It’s a terrific gesture from West Ham, and is even more impressive in the United States where the growing club game is increasingly cutthroat (especially between non-synced leagues).

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AS Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco absolutely roasted his charges after i Lupi tossed aside a Cenzig Under-inspired lead to fall 2-1 at Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

Di Francesco had praise for Edin Dzeko, who assisted Under’s goal, as well as goalkeeper Alisson, but was mostly enraged by his side.

4) “The difference was that in the first half we tried to hurt them while in the second we were looking to hold on – to what? I don’t know.”

— “To what? I don’t know” is hilarious. Di Francesco’s side has posted some serious wins this season, including killing off Chelsea 3-0 at home and coming back from 2-0 to draw the Blues at Stamford Bridge. He doesn’t preach sitting back.

3) “There were far too many schoolboy errors – even by players with a wealth of international experience.”

— Schoolboy errors!

2) “I saw two completely different teams out there today. There were lots of players I should have taken off after we conceded the first goal.”

— Again, one mistake by a number of players on Facundo Ferreyra is enough for Di Francesco. He’s not just happy to be here.

1) “I can’t imagine we’d get arrogant just because we’re winning an important game. It’s not as if Roma are used to reaching the final every year.”

— When you’re willing to essentially rip an entire club’s history — Roma’s been to just two UCL quarterfinals since losing the final to Liverpool in 1984 — you’re putting your footprints in new cement.

Salzburg’s two away goals in a draw feels like a one-goal lead, and the one-goal matches are especially interesting. In the case of Atalanta, 1-0 to the Serie A side could undo Michy Batshuayi‘s first leg heroics for BVB.